Astronaut — Katherine Bennell-Pegg from Australia

Her thoughts and advice for aspiring kids as part of Science Week 2023

Image Credit: Australia Space Agency

What skills are required for becoming an Astronaut ?

• Need operational skills eg manufacturing, aviation, etc
• Need to work across multicultural groups
• Expedition skills like 5 weeks in sky diving, etc.
• Need to be physically fit
• Need to operate under pressure in the procedural environment.
• Should be good enough across different topics. You should be well-rounded
• She got selected out of 23000 applicants

What does this training at ESA mean?

Astronaut Basic training: 1–2 years.

• Has control rooms to speak to astronauts
• Pressure chambers
• Cycle to the astronaut center and then full-day training.
• Learn medicine also. How to do first aid.
• Gravity is the constant on Earth. That’s non-existent in space.
• Have to exercise a lot in space. 2 hrs gym in space.
• Learn nutrition. Did the ocean survival, Fire survival
• Handle pressure leak. Zero G.
• Each mission control has 1000 people.
• Photography. Learning languages.
• The first person to walk on Mars is sitting in the school class now.

She was in SES. Went to India as part of “ Engineers without Borders”.

Also Learnt Music, dancing, debating, etc

Having hobbies is important!!

Great Insights into what’s important.